1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for route guiding. Particularly, the invention pertains to a navigation system capable of providing a guide route in response to questions posed by the user of the navigation system in association with institutions viewed by the user during a voice guiding process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Navigation systems are provided with a map/information storing medium such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM containing map data for plotting a map and information data such as place names and institutions to be displayed on the map, a reproducing unit for reading data from the map/information storing medium, a display unit for displaying a map, and a vehicle position detecting unit for detecting the current position and the travelling direction of the vehicle utilizing a self-contained navigation system such as a distance sensor or a gyro and a GPS receiver. According to such a navigation system, map data including the current position of the vehicle is read from the map/information storing medium. A map image around the vehicle position is then plotted on the screen of the display unit utilizing the map data read. Further, a vehicle position mark is displayed on the display screen and a map image is displayed by scrolling as the vehicle travels or a map image is fixed on the screen while the vehicle position mark is shifted. In this way where the vehicle is presently traveling can be seen at a glance. The information storage medium stores other institution-related information data that the user can retrieve and display.
The navigation system possesses a route guiding function for permitting the user to drive the vehicle easily toward a desired destination without selecting a wrong road. According to the route guiding function, a route of the lowest cost from an origin to a destination is searched with use of the map information, the route thus searched is stored as a guide route, and while the vehicle is travelling, the guide route is plotted on the map image thickly using a color different from the color of other routes. Further, when the vehicle approaches an intersection on the guide route where the vehicle is to change its course, within a predetermined certain distance, the intersection is displayed on a larger scale and an arrow or the like which represents a course changing direction is plotted on the screen. In connection with the display of intersection there also has been developed a navigation system wherein an intersection is displayed, for example, in three dimensions in almost the same state as the state in which the driver actually sees road in front of the vehicle.
The driver, however, must make efforts to drive the vehicle safely while checking the front and surrounding conditions because it is dangerous for the driver to direct his or her eyes to the navigation system frequently. Particularly, in the vicinity of an intersection the driver should refrain from directing his or her eyes to the navigation system because the possibility of traffic accident occurrence is high. In the conventional navigation system, in view of this point, not only image display but also voice guide is conducted so that the driver can pass an intersection safely. For example, as the vehicle approaches an intersection, a voice guide is given such as xe2x80x9cabout 700 m, to the right.xe2x80x9d According to such a voice guide function, by depressing xe2x80x9cVoice Guidexe2x80x9d button of the remote controller, a guide can be made at that point such as xe2x80x9cTravel along the road for a while.xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c5 km more, to the right.xe2x80x9d
As navigation systems become more popular, there is concern that there may be a greater number of accidents because the driver of a vehicle may look at the display portion of the navigation system too frequently or too long. For this reason there is a tendency to strengthening the restrictions on the navigation system. Consequently, a greater importance will be attached in future to such a voice guide.
When the above described voice guiding is conducted in the navigation system, particularly at an intersection where the vehicle concerned is to turn right or left, it is easier to understand the guiding process if the names of institutions as markers such as, for example, the names of gas stations, restaurants and convenience stores at or near the intersection are shown in addition to an approximate distance from the current position and right and left turn directions. In this case, for example, a guide is made such as xe2x80x9cAbout 500 m ahead, to the right. Seven-Eleven is a marker.xe2x80x9d
In this connection, the navigation system is usually set to guide institution names which will probably be known to many people, but the institution names thus guided are not always be known to all of the people guided. More particularly, at the time of recording institution names for a guide on a map/information storage medium for navigation, the navigation system is set to guide the names of gas stations, family restaurants and convenience stores known well to vehicular drivers, as well as public institutions such as post offices, police stations and firehouses. However, for example as to institutions heretofore called xe2x80x9cKominkan (community center)xe2x80x9d which many people have utilized before, they are often expressed in various new names when newly rebuilt later. For example, an institution called xe2x80x9cKashiwa Kominkanxe2x80x9d before is now called xe2x80x9cAmuse Kashiwa.xe2x80x9d This name change was made at the time of a recent reconstruction of the institution. In this case, at the time of setting the names of institutions for guide, the old xe2x80x9cKashiwa Kominkan is a marker.xe2x80x9d Is updated to xe2x80x9cAmuse Kashiwa is a marker.xe2x80x9d However, at least for a fairly long period after that name change, many people will have no idea whether the institution is a restaurant or an amusement institution or a public institution.
In the above example, therefore, if a guide is made like xe2x80x9cAbout 500 m ahead, to the right. Amuse Kashiwa is a marker.xe2x80x9d and if the vehicular driver is not familiar with this institution, it will not be until approaching the intersection that the driver searches for the institution, and so much attention is paid to checking which is the institution. Because traffic accidents are apt to occur in the intersection and the driver""s attention is distracted while driving the vehicle near the intersection, the guide by the navigation system rather becomes dangerous.
In making a software for a navigation system and when preparing guide data for intersections or the like, an attempt is made to select appropriate institutions as markers as referred to above, but such institutions as known to most people are extremely limited. Particularly, there are various persons, including men and women of all ages, who utilize the navigation system and the object of interest differs depending on people, so the selection of institution names for guide is extremely difficult and appropriate institutions are not always selected.
Taking the above point into account, it may be effective to merely display the distance from the current travelling position up to a right-left turn intersection and a right-left turn direction on the basis of the current position data without guiding any marker institution, like xe2x80x9cAbout 500 m ahead, to the rightxe2x80x9d, or guide only the number of intersections and a right-left turn direction like xe2x80x9cTurn left at the second intersection.xe2x80x9d However, since a large number of institution information pieces are stored in a data storage medium, it is desirable to utilize them in route guide effectively in some form or other.
Map data and institution data stored in a map/information data storage medium such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM used in the navigation system is updated to new information frequently for the supply as version-up data to users. Therefore, it is desirable for navigation system users to purchase, for maintenance, a new data storage medium at every update. Actually, however, since the purchase requires the users to pay a charge, most users continue to use the original data. It follows that most of the users presently using navigation systems continue to use the original data until buying new cars or new navigation systems.
In the above voice guide for intersections, when an institution name as a marker is guided, if the institution no longer exists or has changed to another institution, the user of the navigation system using old data is required to search for the guided institution in the vicinity of the intersection, which is very dangerous. Particularly, in the case of chain restaurants and convenience stores, they tend to undergo drastic changes unlike roads and the like, so there is a fear that such conditions may occur frequently in a navigation system that guides institution names. A countermeasure may be eliminating such institutions from the guide. However, since correct data is stored in the data storage medium despite limited inappropriate data, it is desirable to utilize it effectively in some form or other.
Further, with the recent advance of the voice recognition technology, a voice recognizing unit has been developed wherein various operations can be done with a voice without any operation on the user side for keys and touch panel provided in a navigation system. In a navigation system equipped with such a voice recognizing unit, operational portions so far operated manually can be operated with a voice wherein the user must utter predetermined words in accordance with a predetermined operation sequence.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a route guiding system with a voice output which, when guiding a route with use of information on institutions stored in a data storage medium, can account for institutions unknown to the user and institutions that no longer exist, and can guide with a voice in response to a questionary speech based on an institution viewed by the user. It is another object of the present invention to provide a route guiding method in a navigation system that can fulfill such functions.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a navigation system includes an institution name extracting unit that extracts an institution name from a voice uttered by a user of the navigation system, an institution retrieving unit that retrieves, from stored institution data institutions located near the position of a vehicle equipped with the navigation system on the basis of the institution name extracted by the institution name extracting unit, a user-uttered institution specifying unit that specifies an institution corresponding to the institution name uttered by the user from among the retrieved institutions, and a route guide unit that, when an institution has been specified by the user-uttered institution specifying unit, aurally guides a route from the specified institution to a place to be guided.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a navigation system includes a voice recognizing unit that recognizes a voice uttered by a user of the navigation system, a route guide request presence or absence determining unit that determines whether a speech of a route guide request is included in the voice recognized by the voice recognizing unit, an institution name extracting unit that extracts an institution name from the voice recognized by the voice recognizing unit, an institution retrieving unit that retrieves from stored institution data institutions located near the position of a vehicle equipped with the navigation system on the basis of the institution name extracted by the institution name extracting unit, a user-uttered institution specifying unit that specifies an institution corresponding to the institution name uttered by the user from among the retrieved institutions, a route guide unit that when it is determined by the route guide request presence or absence determining unit that there has been a route guide request and when an institution has been specified by the user-uttered institution specifying unit, guides a route from the specified institution up to a place to be guided, and a voice synthesizing unit that converts a signal provided from the route guide unit into a voice signal and outputs the voice signal.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the route guide request presence or absence determining unit is provided with a dictionary unit in which are registered such speeches as xe2x80x9cI seexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cHow many more meters?xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cThat""s okay, isn""t it?xe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cThis is not the place, is it?xe2x80x9d.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the route guide unit calculates the number of intersections or traffic lights located in between the specified institution and the place to be guided and makes a route guide in accordance with the calculated number.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, when the institution name extracted by the institution name extracting unit is not included in the speech portion uttered by the user or when the institution uttered by the user is not specified by the user-uttered institution specifying unit, the route guide unit guides an institution name as a marker from among the retrieved institution data.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, a navigation system includes a marker name recognizing unit that recognizes a marker name related to a guide route from a speech portion uttered by a user of the navigation system, a marker retrieving unit that retrieves from stored marker data markers located near the position of a vehicle equipped with the navigation system on the basis of the marker name recognized by the marker name recognizing unit, a user-uttered marker specifying unit that specifies a marker corresponding to the marker name uttered by the user from among the retrieved markers, and a route guide unit that when a marker has been specified by the user-uttered marker specifying unit, aurally guides a route from the specified marker up to a place to be guided.
According to a still further embodiment of the present invention, the markers are institutions and intersections.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, a route guiding method in a navigation system comprises the acts of recognizing a voice uttered by a user of the navigation system, specifying an institution name from the recognized voice, retrieving, from among stored institution data, institutions located near the position of a vehicle equipped with the navigation system on the basis of the specified institution name, specifying an institution corresponding to the institution name uttered by the user from among the retrieved institutions, and aurally guiding a route from the specified institution up to a place to be guided.